Mahindra Thar Expert Review

Changes on the outside of the 2025 Mahindra Thar are minimal. Up front, the 7-slat grille is now body-coloured and a dual-tone bumper makes a return. Lighting is unchanged: halogen headlamps and fog lamps, LED DRLs and LED tail-lamps. The side profile is identical, with the same 18-inch wheels running 255-section all-terrain rubber. A rear wiper and a rear-view camera housed in the spare wheel now feature. It also adds two colours from the Roxx palette – Tango Red and Battleship Grey. So while the changes are minimal, they don’t take away from the Thar’s appeal. Five years on, its rugged design still has plenty of wow factor.

The Thar’s interior sticks to its all-black theme with tough, easy-to-clean materials. The dashboard design is familiar but now borrows the Roxx’s steering wheel, stalks and a new touchscreen. Seating remains four-on with black leather and fabric inserts, though climbing into the rear bench is still tricky and boot space continues to disappoint. Up front, the seats are large and supportive, with the driver’s chair gaining height adjustment. While the cabin looks largely the same, some smart ergonomic updates improve usability. Grab handles on the A-pillar make entry easier, the centre console has been reworked with an adjustable armrest and storage, and the window switches have finally moved to the doors. Automatics benefit from a proper dead pedal, while refuelling is simpler with an internal fuel-door release. Rear passengers now get AC vents, a Type-C USB port and a 12V socket. Small updates, but they collectively make a big difference.

The Thar continues with the 1.5-litre diesel, 2.2-litre diesel and 2-litre petrol – the former only available on the 4x2. All engines come mated to a 6-speed manual, while the latter two can be had with a 6-speed torque-converter automatic. The higher output versions of the larger diesel and the petrol on the Roxx are not available on the 3-door. The 2.2-litre mHawk diesel producing 132hp and 300Nm of torque is refined and smooth. Diesel clatter is well contained even at higher revs, and torque delivery is linear – useful when crawling over obstacles off-road. Those seeking outright performance might prefer the mStallion petrol with its 152hp, 300Nm and 10.2-second 0–100kph time, but the grunty diesel is a better match for the Thar’s character.

In terms of fuel efficiency, our 2021 road test revealed the petrol auto is thirsty at 7kpl in the city and 9.3kpl on the highway. The mHawk diesel manages 12kpl in the city and around 12.6kpl on the highway for the manual, slightly less for the auto.

Underneath, the Thar continues with the proven hardware that makes it such a capable off-roader – a ladder-frame chassis, double-wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear with coil springs. Wheel articulation is excellent, letting the chunky JK Tyre Ranger ATs dig in even through slippery mud, aided by a mechanical locking differential on the 4x4. The RWD, meanwhile, uses a brake-locking diff. With low range engaged, the Thar breezes past most obstacles at Igatpuri, giving a sense of invincibility – though at the cost of ride comfort. The second-gen was already a big step up on tarmac versus its predecessor, but there was still room to improve. Mahindra hasn’t changed the hardware for this update, though it says suspension tweaks over the last five years make a noticeable difference. We couldn’t verify this on Igatpuri’s off-road course, but will test it on highways soon. The hydraulic steering, however, still feels heavy.

The most notable update is the infotainment system – out goes the dated 7-inch unit and in comes a crisp 10.25-inch screen borrowed from the Roxx, with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and Gen 2 of the Adventure Stats off-road telemetry screen. There’s also a rear washer-wiper to get a better view of the tailgate mounted spare and a rear-view camera to actually see past it. The rest of the feature set is unchanged. What would have been welcome, though, are curtain airbags. As it stands, the Thar continues with dual airbags, ESP with roll-over mitigation, hill hold and descent control, ABS, ISOFIX mounts on the rear seat and a structural roll cage.

The 2025 Thar now starts at Rs 9.99 lakh - Rs 32,000 less than before - and goes up to Rs 13.99 lakh for the 4x2. The 4x4 diesel is priced at Rs 15.49 lakh for the manual and Rs 16.99 lakh for the automatic, while the petrol manual costs Rs 14.69 lakh, with the automatic at Rs 16.25 lakh. Mahindra has done a good job of incorporating customer feedback and a few niceties from the Roxx into the Thar. Make no mistake, this is not a 3-door Roxx, but it has made the 3-door Thar that much more liveable with its focus still skewed towards off-road – and that’s no bad thing. With the Roxx chasing volumes, the new 3-door Thar is free to dig deeper into its niche which it had made good headway with, its second generation.